electronic music

The Wait is over –  The 2008 National Musicoz Awards are now open for entries!
Entries ore now open for Australia’s Premier Musicoz Awards for Unsigned and Independent Artists.
There are 17 different categories to enter into including:

Rock, Pop, Dance/Electronica, Urban, Country, Alternative, Acoustic/Singer-Songwriter, Schoolies, Video, Metal/Hardcore, World/Folk, Jazz/Classical, Blues/Roots, International, Christian/Spiritual, Live, Instrumental

All of the above are National Musicoz Awards in their own right. As well as this we have several other awards chosen from entries in the above categories, these include:

The Nova Unsigned Initiative Award
The APRA Songwriter’s Award
Tony Mott Photography Award
Garth Porter Producer Award
People’s Choice (Public Vote) Award
Artist of the Year Award

As well as the prestige of winning an actual National Musicoz Award, we also have amassed well over $150,000 worth of cash, prizes and industry opportunities for winners of our various awards. Prizes include recording time in Australia’s best recording studios, Record deals, Publishing Deals, Photo Shoots, Music Videos, and prizes from Turramurra Music, Maton Guitars, Rode Microphones and Roland, (and a few major surprises to come)

All artists get their own profile page on our popular website which can be also used for your own promotion. We also have a professional song feedback service designed to assist developing songwriters to further their craft. With an ever increasing success story roster, The Musicoz Awards are proud of playing a major development role with the following artists:

·                Porcelain-Now residing in L.A and signed to Universal Music U.S.
·                Sender-Signed to Sony/BMG Australia- Reached no 19 on the national ARIA charts
·                Bliss’n’Eso-Signed to Illusive Records Australia-Reached no 7 on the national ARIA charts
·                Sick Puppies-Now a sensation in the U.S and signed to Roadshow Music., toured with Evanescence in the US
·                Blue King Brown-No 1 on the Australian Independent charts
·                The Sunpilots-No 1 indie band on MySpace, No 1 added band to commercial radio FEB 2008
·                The Fumes- Album of the week FBI Radio and The Drum Media
·                Felicity Urquhart- 2007 Golden Guitar winner and No.1 video on CMC.
·                Anthony Snape – Currently Touring the U.S
·                Gian – Signed to ABC/Warner Music
·                Stone Parade – No 17 ARIA charts, No 1 AIR charts May 2008
·                Borne – Played Glastonbury Festival (UK), 25,000 downloads iTunes US, #1 iTunes Australia
·                King Farook – Headlining Major Festivals across Australia
·                BlueJuice – Played Big Day Out, Come Together, Splendour In the Grass Festivals

All of our categories and awards except one, are judged by an elite Musicoz Judging Academy, representing major and indie labels, managers, booking agents, radio and TV program and music directors, record producers and engineers and major music journalists, including:

Michael Parisi President of A&R Warner Music, Jay Dee Springbett A&R Director Sony/BMG, Willy MacAlister Assistant Program Director Nova 96.9, Jason Healey New Media Manager & Artist Outreach Roadrunner Records, Matthew Capper General Manager Warner/Chappell Publishing, Jonathon Moran Music/Entertainment Writer Sunday Telegraph Anthony Agizi Producer DNA Songs, Michael Taylor General Manager of A&R/Head of Island Records Australia Universal Music Australia, Simon Moor Head of A&R Sony ATV Publishing, Courtney Hard Senior A&R Manager Sony/BMG, Matt O’Connor A&R Manager The A&R Department.com, Sam Righi Managing Director Big Deal Entertainment, Mark Bolton General Manager MGM distribution, Denley Healy A&R Manager Shock Records, Adam Gould A&R Manager Sony/BMG, Craig Hawker A&R Manager EMI, Catherine Haridy Manager Eskimo Joe, Mark Neilson Editor The Drum Media, Adam Jordan Head Engineer Mainstreet Studios, Simon Cahill A&R Manager Sony/BMG (Red Label), DW Norton, Producer/Engineer Faultline Records, Denny Burgess Chairman Australian Songwriter’s Association, Marshall Cullen Manager Fogsongs, David Liotta Producer Tonemarket Music, Michael Smith Associate Editor the Drum Media, Geoff Trio Booking agent/Manager Code One Entertainment, Adrian Karvinen A&R Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia, Warwick Marsh Manager Australian Heart Ministries, David Page Producer Nikinali Studios, Bill Cullen Manager End of Fashion/Paul Kelly/Sarah Blasko, Sharnee Davis Manager Studios 301, Carl Whitbread Producer, Adam CurleyEditor Inpress Magazine, Greg Grant Manager Adrenalin Sounds Peter Billing Rolling Stone Magazine Garth Porter Producer, Tony Mott Photographer Monious Producer, Paris Pompor Managing Director Groovescooter Records, Russel Hannah Illawarra Folk Club, Yvonne O’Grady Director Illawarra Folk Club Tim Daley Program Director Country Music Channel, Matt Fell Producer Love Hz Studios, Mark Gable Choirboys, David DeSanti Festival Director Illawarra Folk Club, Mark Holland A&R Scout EMI, Robbie Specogna Producer/Engineer Mainstreet Studios, Danielle Courtney Shrine Promotions, Nick Skitz, Dennis Koks Jazz Guru, Damien Wilson Global Sales and Marketing Director Rode Microphones, Christie Eliezer Music Journalist Ace Media International, Denley Healey Promotions Manager Shock Records, David Musumeci Producer DNA Songs, Geoge Said Creative Manager Peer Music Publishing, Paul Paiello Director Musical Content Mercury Mobility, Katania Young Country Music Manager One Stop Entertainment, Brett Nositer Program Director Channel [V], Sue Taylor General Manager Trackdown Scoring Stage, Elaine Beckett Operations Manager Trackdown Scoring Stage, Bishop David Cremin St Michael’s Parish Hurstville Steve McPherson Manager Hillsong Publishing, Steve Berry Lecturer Southern Cross Uni School of Contemporary Music, Michael King Country Music Artist, Graheme Morrison, Illawarra Folk Festival, Peter Butler Illawarra Folk Festival, Suzie Mylecharane Ku Promotions, Jim MacQuarrie Director NSW Folk Association, Jamie Hilton Producer Ticket To Ride Productions, Helen Clemens Video Director Ticket To Ride Productions, Mark Callaghan General Manager AMPAL (and Gangagang), Dan Nash Senior Recording Engineer Glebe Studios, Francis Coady Manager Coady Music International Artist Management, Claire Roberts Manager KISS Events, Glen Bowker Manager Rockdog

The only Award not judged by the industry is the People’s Choice (Public Vote) Award. All entrants in all categories are eligible also for this award which is determined by receiving SMS votes. All artists and bands can receive votes and potentially go into the Musicoz interactive voting charts.

For the past eight years , Musicoz has been at the forefront of the surge in popularity in independent music in Australia and the National Musicoz Awards has been a true breath of fresh air in an industry that otherwise had limited scope for advancement for many artists.

So if you’re unsigned or independent, if you’re a solo artist or in a band, no matter what style of music you create, go to www.musicoz.org and upload your music now. Entries close August 31st.

do you know you can customise the google earth application, and send links to people that have satelitte views, and pop up bubbles.

From the google earth bloggers >>

Now that Google Earth 4.3 has launched, we’re pleased to be realizing our goal of Google Earth being a canvas upon which all sorts of interesting data can be visualized. Now we’re moving more and more towards supporting data that is dynamic; if we want Google Earth to model the real Earth, we need Google Earth to be different every time you open it up.

Usability is defined by five quality components:

• Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?
• Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
• Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
• Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
• Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?

Get the real deal from Jacob Neilson >>

Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. The word “usability” also refers to methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process.

• Test part of your site to the new domain first.
• Use 301 redirects to notify Google of the change.
• Redirect pages to the most relevant new page.
• first move the original site and then do a redesign.
• Make sure internal links are pointing to the new domain.
• encourage external links to change to the new domain.
• Hold on to old domain for 180 days
• Register and verify the new site with Webmaster Tools
• submit a sitemap.
• Review crawl errors within Webmaster Tools

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/04/best-practices-when-moving-your-site.html

Firefox doesnt show table borders – boring. IE does – yippee!

Firefox Border Color Fix
http://www.bigbold.com/snippets/posts/show/293

How to change the border colors; usethis style sheet command:

TABLE { border: 1px solid #eee; }
TABLE TD { border: 1px solid #eee; }

or check this tutorial:
http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_howto.asp

Also this is a Border Style Wizard
http://www.somacon.com/p141.php
- Creates Firefox- and IE (mostly)-compatible HTML and CSS code snippets as you click on the buttons to change the appearance of the table on the page.

Website strategy stage 1 development should look into these sorts of issues at a broad and top level view. This data should be assessed with senior management and stakeholders in place.

1. Domain Names

• Technology – Access – Ownership

2. Brand Assessment

• Market placement – Usability – Analytics

3. Vision And Goals

• Strategy - Budgets – Current position

4. It Infrastructure

• Vision - Support – Strategy

Generally, your strategy will be contained within your overall plan, but in most cases it is overlooked.

Areas of assessment can be but are not limited to these departments:

• OPTIMISE
• STRUCTURE
• USABILITY / CLICKABILITY
•  TRACKING
•  CONTENT
•  LINKS
•  ADVERTISING
•  COMMUNITY PORTAL MARKETS
•  DOMAIN NAMES
•  AFFILIATE PROGRAMS
•  POLICIES / PRODEDURES
•  RESEARCH / INNOVATION
•  BUDGETS
•  TIME ALLOCATIONS
•  REPORTABLES
•  RESOURCES

Call 0412 308708 for more info.

- I have 10 years experience in the digital space, producing and managing web based projects and builds. I have a broad range of knowledge across design and technical, as well as client facing and accounting abilities. I am looking for roles where i can further my skill set and my management skills, and work in a fun and creative environment. My top down view at online business models is a key to my success in my online strategy and development sessions.

“SEO Product Analysist  – OverQualified!”
- realestate.com.au

Available immediately in Melbourne CBD.

Search Engine Consultant – Darren McCoy – Call 0412 308708

I have moved to Melbourne and I am looking for work now.

• 10 Years industry experience
• 3 hour or 3 day sessions with full 2008 report and planning
• Special rates for immediate start

Let me talk to you about your corporate or business websites and how they can work better in the search engines. The departments that will be addressed as per your website strategy and your search engine marketing strategy as follows:

• OPTIMISE
• STRUCTURE
• USABILITY / CLICKABILITY
• TRACKING
• CONTENT
• LINKS
• ADVERTISING
• COMMUNITY PORTAL MARKETS
• DOMAIN NAMES
• AFFILIATE PROGRAMS
• POLICIES / PRODEDURES
• RESEARCH / INNOVATION
• BUDGETS
• TIME ALLOCATIONS
• REPORTABLES
• RESOURCES

Call 0412 308708 for immediate appointments.

This free typing tutor teaches you how to touch-type. Once you can touch-type you will not need to look at the keyboard to find the letters you want to type.

This is a great typing tutor tool, its professional, yet simple enough for the kids to enjoy.

Download TypeFaster-install.exe (1.81 MB)

• A clear indication of which fingers to use. This is the essence of touchtyping.
• A 3D typing game.
• Typing statistics and the option of practising the least accurate/slowest/custom keys.
• Keyboard is not a fixed size (resolution independent).
• Multi-user support.
• Teacher support (view student statistics).
• Interface for editing lesson files and game settings.
• Backspace support
• Right to left text support.
• Variable text size.
• Lesson files can be prose or poems.
• Lesson progress indicator.
• Completely free with full source code availability.

Dear Friends and Colleagues

You are warmly invited to attend our book launch at Readings Books in Lygon St Carlton on Thursday June 21st at 6:00pm – 8:00pm Come and share good wine and great food with us to celebrate the publication of

HEALING THE INNER CITY CHILD: CREATIVE ARTS THERAPIES WITH AT-RISK YOUTH – Jessica Kingsley Publishers

We have co-written a chapter in this fabulous new book and together with Dr Reina Michaelson are the only Australian authors in the publication.

Reina is currently in the Maldives working for UNICEF designing and implementing a child abuse prevention program, so Julie and Carla are hosting the launch. They will be introduced by Dr Tarquam McKenna who is immediate past President of Australian and New Zealand Art Therapy Association and editor of their international journal, ANZJAT. Tarquam is an arts psychotherapist. He has a commitment to the principles of arts as a way to enrich life and healing and is actively working in visual arts and drama as multi-modal psychotherapies. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at Victoria University, Melbourne.
As part of the presentation Julie and Carla will be briefly demonstrating creative arts therapy techniques used in the book chapter entitled,

“A Safe Distance: An intermodal approach to creating a country retreat for city girls who have been abused.”

The demonstrations serve to illustrate some of the approaches Julie and Carla chose for their therapeutic work with the girls and they will discuss what informed their choices and the results of action evaluation from the retreat.

We look forward to your company and ask if you would kindly RSVP by June 1st so we can arrange catering.

best wishes Julie and Carla

Carla van Laar
Artist / Therapist / Educator
0410 403 270
www.bereavedmothersheart.com

Several usability findings lead directly to higher sales and increased customer loyalty. These design tactics should be your first priority when updating your website.

1. Email Newsletters

2. Informative Product Pages

3. High-Quality Photography

4. Product Differentiation and Comparisons

5. Support for Reordering

6. Simplified Text

7. Catering to Seniors

8. Gift-Giving Support

9. Search

10. User Testing

* Bonus Tactic: Loyalty Program
* Serving Customers, Not Chasing Hype

Of course this excellent data can be read in full on Jacob the Usability God’s site:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/roi.html